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<title>that awkward moment when you realize you're attracted to the demon possessing your best friend by FuntasticFrost</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24509869">that awkward moment when you realize you're attracted to the demon possessing your best friend</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/FuntasticFrost/pseuds/FuntasticFrost'>FuntasticFrost</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Everyman HYBRID</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Blood and Injury, Denial of Feelings, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mutual Pining</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 07:01:13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,045</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24509869</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/FuntasticFrost/pseuds/FuntasticFrost</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Vinny and Habit spend a romantic evening together hunting down the Rake.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>HABIT/Vinny (Everyman HYBRID)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>36</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>that awkward moment when you realize you're attracted to the demon possessing your best friend</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>FYI, I haven't actually watched Everyman HYBRID. I'm not in the fandom, I just wrote this piece on commission. So, some of the details might be wonky, and the characterizations probably aren't spot on, but I tried my best! I hope you enjoy this fic regardless!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The woods are dark. They always are, and Vinny’s flashlight doesn’t help. Typical. By now, he’s accepted the fact that his life is an absolute shitshow. There’s not much he can do about it other than record everything and hope he makes it out in one piece.</p><p>Habit spins around to face him, walking backward without any regard for the possibility of tripping on a stray rock or root. As usual, he gives zero fucks about any potential damage to Evan’s body. Vinny frowns at his carelessness but doesn’t comment. He learned a long time ago that doing so only encourages him.</p><p>“So!” the demon claps his hands together—<em>Evan’s </em> hands, Vinny has to remind himself. Habit is possessing his best friend. Habit is <em> bad</em>. “You excited?”</p><p>Vinny pushes his glasses higher up on his nose, looking down at the ground to watch where he’s going. The last thing he wants is to drop and break his camera. It’s the only thing keeping him sane.</p><p>After several beats of silence, he glances up, and Habit is still staring at him expectantly with his creepy ass smile.</p><p>Vinny sighs. “Not really. You still haven’t told me what we’re doing.”</p><p>Habit rolls his eyes. “You <em>know </em>what we’re doing.”</p><p>“Hunting for the Rake, yeah, but you haven’t told me the <em> plan</em>,” Vinny retorts. Habit waves him off.</p><p>“That’s for me to know and you to find out,” the demon replies swiftly, shooting him a wink.</p><p>Vinny sighs audibly, glaring at Habit’s back after he turns around. Why does he even bother anymore? Habit isn’t going to tell him anything. He’s never told him <em> shit</em>. Whenever Vinny pushes the issue, the demon just insists that he knows how to kill Slenderman and every little thing he does is part of the bigger picture, so he shouldn’t question him. <em> Everything will become clear in time. </em> Vinny would call bullshit, but Habit is his only hope, so he doesn’t have any other option than to deal.</p><p>Dry leaves and rust-colored pine needles crunch under their boots. Vinny scratches his beard. “You really think you can kill it?”</p><p>Habit doesn’t hesitate. “Oh, I know I can.”</p><p>His confidence should be inspiring. It isn’t. Vinny’s lips flatten into a straight line.</p><p>“It’s an <em> immortal monster</em>,” he points out.</p><p>Habit looks over his shoulder and flashes his teeth. “So am I.”</p><p>Suppressing a shudder, Vinny presses on. “Yeah, but you’re not exactly on the same level as the <em> Rake</em>, are you?”</p><p>Habit halts abruptly, visibly stiffening. He stands there, still and tense, for several seconds. Then, with a growl, he spins on his heel, marching right up into Vinny’s personal space. He’s shorter and scrawnier than him, so sometimes Vinny forgets he’s not talking to his best friend but instead the spawn of hell. </p><p>His eyes black, his aura crackling with demonic energy, Habit pokes him in the chest.</p><p>“You are a <em> human</em>,” he hisses, “I don’t have to tell you <em> anything</em>. So just shut up and do as I say. Got it, darlin’?”</p><p>Vinny knows he should be scared of him—he <em> is, </em> he definitely is, he’s seen the homicidal maniac in action—but Habit so closely resembles a petulant child in this moment that it’s difficult to take him seriously.</p><p>“Fine,” Vinny sighs, too tired to argue. He never wins a fight with the demon anyway, only manages to ruffle his feathers.</p><p>Habit’s bright and cheery façade returns in the blink of an eye. “Good!” He claps Vinny’s shoulder and then squeezes. “You wanted to be helpful, right?”</p><p>“… Yes,” he concedes. He doesn’t trust the glint in the demon’s eyes. He doesn’t trust Habit, period.</p><p>“So, I want you to stand right here and don’t move, okay? Just continue being your adorably scared and confused self,” Habit instructs, patting him on the cheek.</p><p>Vinny blinks repeatedly. “What?”</p><p>Habit smirks. “See? Just like that. Easy.”</p><p>Habit is already walking away, disappearing into the blackness of the forest, when Vinny snaps out of it and calls after him: “Wait! What’s the plan?!”</p><p>“This <em>is </em>the plan, honey! Just go with it!”</p><p>Sputtering, Vinny stares hopelessly into the darkness, deflated. Of course Habit abandoned him in the middle of the monster-infested wilderness. What else did he expect? He probably hopes Vinny gets eaten by a bear or maybe even something worse. This is probably his way of saying <em> so long, sucker, I don’t need you! I can kill Slenderman without your useless mortal ass! </em></p><p>He doesn’t even <em> care, </em> Vinny thinks. The thought comes out of left field and startles him. He shakes his head, frowning. Habit isn’t Evan. Of course Habit doesn’t care. Habit’s an asshole. Habit is bad.</p><p>Regardless of how much of a dick he is, though, he’s still the one with all the power and the grand plan, so Vinny stays put as ordered. He can’t see how splitting up will help them find the Rake—sure, he gets <em> why </em> they’re looking for the creature: Habit needs more practice killing immortal monsters to prepare for slaying Slenderman. Vinny gets it. Is he fully on board? Well, he <em> thought </em>he was, but now that he’s a sitting duck in a creepy forest at one in the morning, alone and without the protection of his demonic ally, he’s rethinking the supposed benefits of hunting down a superpowered murderous entity.</p><p>The minutes tick by. Vinny has seen his fair share of horrifying shit, but every sound still makes him flinch. He <em> knows </em>what’s out there. His anxiety builds as time passes. Habit hasn’t come back. Is he going to come back? Maybe he found the Rake… or maybe the Rake found him. </p><p>Heart pounding, he struggles to wipe his sweaty palms on his jeans while holding on to his camera and flashlight. The more he thinks about it, the more waiting here seems like a dumb idea. </p><p>Steadying his shaky breathing, he takes off the same way Habit went. He’s gonna find the demon and assert that if he’s going to kill the Rake, Vinny is gonna record it. No more running off and leaving him behind. He’s sure Habit will be pissed at him, but when isn’t he?</p><p>A twig snaps somewhere behind him, close by. Startled, Vinny spins around, shining his flashlight in the direction of the sound.</p><p>The Rake is a dozen feet away, all bleached skin and bones, hunched over like a man crawling, its mouth open to reveal sharp teeth.</p><p>Vinny is incredibly proud of himself for not pissing his pants right then and there.</p><p>The Rake shrieks, a grating, shrill sound, and darts forward. Vinny has a half-second to twist around and take a step before the creature is upon him, its long spindly claws scratching long gashes down his back. He screams and falls to his knees, his shirt ripped open and growing wet. He drops his flashlight and the bulb breaks, but he clutches his camera to his chest like a lifeline. Through the haze of adrenaline and pain, he expects a final blow to come, but it never does. The creature screeches, and Vinny can no longer feel its breath on the back of his neck. He glances over his shoulder and spots a figure atop the thrashing body of the beast.</p><p>Habit.</p><p>The combined sounds of maniacal laughter, the slashing of knives, and the Rake’s squealing ring in his ears. Vinny staggers to his feet, squinting to see in the darkness. Habit grunts and then curses something awful, his form flung from the creature. He hits a tree trunk with an audible crack.</p><p>“Habit!” Vinny shouts.</p><p>The Rake howls, turning its attention from the demon to Vinny.</p><p>“Run, Vin!” Habit yells, “Run, you motherfucking moron!”</p><p>Vinny doesn’t need to be told twice. He takes off, sprinting as fast as he can, stumbling nearly every other step, tripping over his own feet. He bolts past trees and boulders and other ominous shapes in the night, the roars and growls growing quieter and quieter and he gets further away from the fight. </p><p>Finally, after running at top speed for what feels like forever, Vinny emerges from the woods. Panting, he drops to the ground, lying flat on his stomach underneath a lone street lamp. His cheek pressed to the dirt, he turns off his camera. His whole body is trembling, and his back is on fire. He reaches behind him to feel the wound, and the contact burns. Hissing, he pulls his fingers away, grimacing at the sight of blood.</p><p>“I told you to stay put.”</p><p>Flinching, Vinny jerks up onto his hands and knees, twisting around to see Habit stalking toward him. The demon looks like shit, covered in wounds and copious amounts of red.</p><p>“You did it?” Vinny asks, disbelieving.</p><p>“I chased him off. For now. But we better get back to the car,” Habit replies, looking a little more than displeased. Vinny can tell he didn’t plan on losing tonight. The demon licks the blood from his assortment of knives, grimacing at the taste. Apparently the Rake doesn’t measure up to human blood.</p><p>Vinny struggles to get to his feet, his knees wobbly. Rolling his eyes, Habit strides over to him, wrapping an arm around him and supporting the bulk of his weight. Even though he’s so small, he’s incredibly strong. </p><p>“This is all your fault, y’know. If you’d just listened to me…” Habit begins, going off on his usual rant about how all his failures are Vinny’s doing and not his own. Vinny tunes him out, too tired to be properly annoyed. “And now look at you. You’re a mess. You think I want to spend my precious time stitching you up, huh?”</p><p>“Then don’t,” Vinny says, wincing when Habit’s hold tightens and irritates his wounds.</p><p>Habit scoffs, leading him down the abandoned dirt road to their vehicle. “Of course I’ve got to. You might not be the dumbest ape on this planet, sweetheart, but I doubt you’d do a decent enough job. I can’t have you dying on me. I still need you.”</p><p>Vinny blinks. “You need me?”</p><p>“For the plan!” Habit squawks, sounding noticeably undemonic.</p><p>“For the plan,” Vinny repeats slowly, looking over at him. Habit’s face is flustered, whether from annoyance or something else, Vinny can’t tell. </p><p>Grumbling, Habit wrenches open the car door and pushes him ungracefully into the passenger seat, stomping around the front of the car like a pissed off murder baby.</p><p>He slides behind the wheel and glares at Vinny. “I hate driving.”</p><p>“I know,” Vinny says, closing his eyes.</p><p>“This is all your fault.” He turns the key in the ignition.</p><p>Vinny leans back on the headrest. “I know.”</p><p>“I don’t need you.”</p><p>Vinny smiles. “I know.”</p><p>He can feel Habit’s gaze on him. Cracking one eye open, he meets the demon’s indignant stare. </p><p>“Why are you smiling?”</p><p>“Eyes on the road, maybe?” Vinny suggests, but Habit ignores him.</p><p>“I’m not kidding. The pet names are just part of my style and natural charm, dear. I would’ve left you there to get mauled if I didn’t require you for my own agenda. I don’t care about you,” Habit insists, turning just a bit too sharply around the corner. </p><p>“I get it, I get it,” Vinny appeases, but he has the distinct impression that Habit is lying, and the demon is usually the perfect deceiver. He can’t even count the number of times Habit has pulled the wool over his eyes. He’s a sneaky, conniving, evil little devil, and yet…</p><p>Vinny was worried earlier, in the woods. Worried Habit had left him behind, worried the Rake had found him and killed him, worried Habit had lost the fight and would never be seen again.</p><p>“I care about you,” Vinny admits suddenly, his voice quiet and astonished. He can’t believe it himself.</p><p>Habit barks a laugh, slapping the steering wheel. “Nah, you’re just in a lot of pain right now, sweet cheeks. I’m not your human buddy, remember? His body is mine now.”</p><p>Vinny doesn’t say anything. Habit could be right, but, on the other hand…</p><p>“There’s painkillers in the glovebox. Take some and stop spewing nonsense. Let me drive in goddamn peace.”</p><p>Vinny smiles to himself, dazed. What a fucking rollercoaster-slash-shitshow his life has become. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Comments and kudos make my day! &lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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